knatjber



Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

UNITED .ALEXANDER ivi. KNAUBER, or OAK PARK, iLLrNors, essreNon To CHICAGO ELEC- Taro SIGN COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

METHOD 0F MAKING SIGNS.

Application lecl August 28, 1919. VSerial No. 320,393.

proved method of making signs and it hasmore especial reference to making illuminat ed or semi-transparent signs.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a mode of procedure for making signs on glass plates that are'efective, ar-

tistic, pleasing in appearance and ineXpen-' sive'in their production.

A particular object of the invention yis to provide'a method of manufacture that enables the artisan to lay out the word of a sign on a single plate and subsequently to segregate the letters thereof from the word and finish the constituent letters as separate entities, which may subsequently be assembled to form the word, and still another object is to make a practically waterproof letter to protect the interior thereof from the destructive effects of moisture, dust and other destroying agencies. v

Other, further and more specific objects of my invention will become readily apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a strip of glass with a series of spaced apart, selected letters appearing thereon in linear sequence, to subsequently be cut apart to form individual letters.

Fig. 2 shows a series of letters on a strip of glass before they have been completely formed by my method.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through a completed letter.

Fig. I is a front view of the completed letter.

In all the views the same reference characters are used to indicate similar parts.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide a strip or plate of glass 5. This strip or plate may be translucent with an inherent coloring matter in its composition, red, blue, purple, white, or the like, or it may be substantially transparent, backed up by a suitable colored sheet, depending upon the effect to be produced by the finished article of manufacture.

Inthe following example, we will assume that itis marbleizedglass that' is translucent or partially transparent. @ver the-top of the glass plate, and substantially the saine length and width,'I.paste, or cement to the top surface of the glass plate -an opaque, flexible sheet, such, for example, as cloth 6, of which window shades are made, will answer the purpose .veryl satisfactorily. After the sheet has become sufficiently ad' herent to the glass, master letter forms, made preferably of metallic-plates and presenting substantially the outlines to be produced upon the glass sign, arelaid uniformly apart A sharp knife is then moved along the edges' of the master letters, one at a time, and the sheet or cloth is cut through tothe glass. rlhe letter, as formed in thismanner, is` shown inl dotted lines, as at 7, in Fig. 2. By outlinin the letter in this manner, using the master. sieet metalletters for the purpose, an inexperienced workmanv can very perfectly produce the sign letters, withoutreon top oflthe cloth; and held firmly in place. f

quiringv the service of" a more' artistic pro'-l i ficient and expensive employee.

After'Y the cloth has'- been severed, on' the'A outlines of the letter desired to be made, they enclosed portion of the cloth is torn away, as at 8, in Fig. 2, thus leaving the white f body portion of thek underlying glass eX- posed to view. `After the parts 8, of each of the outlined letters have been removed from the glass' strip, then the cloth is severed in the same manner on a division line between the letters,.as at 9. A sufficiently wide strip is cut away between the letters to permit the use of a glass cutter, to sever the glass plate on the 'dividing line so that the letters may thus be segregated. The sheet 6 may be of any suitable material of contrasting color with the exposed surface of the glass plate 5, to produce harmonious y effects or it may be semi-transparent or translucent to any desired degree. After the letters have been segregated from the elongated glass strip, a clear glass cover plate- `10 is placed immediately over the cloth surface of the segregated plate 5, which is a part of the original, elongated plate or strip,

and of each ofv the segregated letters.

When the plates are vthus placed together, a molding or frame 11, of suitable metal,

made in the manner described, they are then assembled iii-proper supports orlframes and placed in order, to spell the word |`for which they were made.-v

Bymalring the letters, inaccordancewith my plan of procedure, they are more uniform in length than they ,would be ifmade from separate plates of glass, and urthermore the -fabric or flexible lsheet overlying the glass plate is more easily cemented to the plate and holds with a .greater tenacity than would be the case if ,the flexible lsheets were separately prepared for each letter, built up on smaller separate `plates'ofglass.

instead of using a glass having incorporated vwith it a color, as in the former ,exH

` ample, l mayuse a substantially transparent plate 5 and paint or cement to its under-side a sheet l2 ofsuitablecolor, of partially transparent or translucent material, so that it will form a contrasting color with the overlying cover sheet y6, from which. the let# ters are cut. When the letters have been made, in the manner described, and .placed in theproper frame, they .present-.a very 4desirable andk artistic effect when the interior of the frame is suitably illuminated by the use of electric lamps, or otherwise.

Having described my invention, what l claim is l. rlhe method of' making sign characters which comprises cementing a relatively opaque sheet of easily cut material to a strip oi glass', arranging` a series of master characters on the opaque sheet in proper spaced relation, cutting` the opaque sheet in con! iformity with the master characters thereon, removing the portions ot the opaque sheets segregated by the cuts, cutting narrowsegregating strips in the opaque sheet between the characters, removing' the strips of opaque material to uncover the glass, and'separatlng l, the ycharacters by cutting the glass 1n thezuncovered strips.

2. The methodr of making signs which.

comprises cementing a relatively opaque sheet of easily cut material to a piecepof glass, arranging a series oli' master characters on the opaque sheet in proper order and relation to torni a related part of the sign,

cutting the opaque sheet lin conformity withk the outline ofthe fmaster characters, removingtheportions of the opaque sheet segre-` gated by the foregoing cuts, dividing the opaque sheet by narrow strips out and. removed ytherefrom,and separating` the glass into units by cutting the, same within \the boundaries ofthe strips of material so cut.

and removed.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto sub? scribe my name.

` ALEXANDER M, .KNAUBERL 

